Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said Wednesday that a bipartisan agreement on net neutrality is becoming "an impossible task," according to Broadcasting & Cable.
"There are too many folks, from [FCC] Chairman Ajit Pai to the stakeholders and lawmakers who are dug in on a particular side of this issue, so it is making compromise an impossible task," Nelson said during a hearing for the Senate Commerce Committee, of which he is the ranking member.
"Consumers need to know that we have their back and they deserve certainty and finality when it comes to their essential right to a truly free and open Internet protected by clear, enforceable net neutrality rules," he said, adding that consumers "deserve better" than Pai's plan.
Nelson said that although he will continue to talk with Commerce Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., it's "pretty clear that the climate just isn't right at the moment for a legislative solution that would lead to real, substantive legislation that would garner sufficient bipartisan support."
Two of Nelson's fellow Democrats, Sens. Brian Schatz of Hawaii and Cory Booker of New Jersey, sent an open letter to Pai in the Daily Kos Tuesday, in which they announced their "opposition" to the FCC chairman's "effort to repeal net neutrality protections."
They wrote that "The public does not accept Republicans taking away their rights online in the name of corporate profit. Just a few weeks ago, Republicans underestimated the public's outrage at the successful repeal of privacy protections for users online."
"Like with the Republican repeal of the FCC's online privacy rules, there is little public support for your actions. Following an onslaught of public furor, congressional Republicans regretted voting to repeal online privacy protection for the public. We believe that public uproar was just a preview of what you can expect as you initiate a proceeding to eliminate net neutrality protections."
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